The company also makes scales to monitor weight and ECG machines which are used to identify a heart attack.

Once the appropriate test has been carried out, the information is transmitted by telephone to Broomwell's 24-hour monitoring centre, based in Manchester.

At the centre, expert clinical staff analyse the data on their computer screen and within minutes speak to the GP or patient to report back their findings and decide which treatment they should have.

Diagnosis

This means that the GPs quickly get the information they need to make a diagnosis and the patient does not need to travel to hospital for the tests and to see the experts.

Last week the Government announced plans to provide more healthcare in the community, meaning that patients do not automatically have to go to hospital.

Joe Rafferty, director of performance at Cumbria and Lancashire SHA, said: "So often it's the inconvenience of accessing healthcare that patients find disruptive and wearing - the constant too-ing and fro-ing to hospitals for tests, the cost of it, the waits, particularly for people living in rural or out of the way areas.

"But Broomwell had come up with a way of making that inconvenience a thing of the past by enabling people to have quick, professional readings of their tests in their GP surgeries, or even in their own homes.

"It gives patients a much greater sense of control over their own lives - and that is very much in keeping with the wishes of the public that were reflected in the recent White Paper."

Joshua Rowe, chairman of Broomwell Healthwatch, added: "This type of service is the future for the NHS.

"It is one of those rare `win-win' propositions that are great for patients because of the convenience, and great for the NHS because it saves them a fortune."

The machines are already being used across Cumbria and Lancashire by GPs and walk-in centres. There are now plans to expand the use of the machines into rural Cumbria as soon as possible.